2008 The Year I Almost Died At Quiznos

I have been thinking allot about the past year and everything that has gone down. I must say 2008 treated me well, except for one day at Quiznos. So most of you who know me are well aware that I am a magnet for random crazy things (that includes people on airplanes having combat flashbacks, not kidding) I assure you this story is no different. In February of last year after a full morning of sales calls a supplier and I decided to stop at Quiznos and get some food. So I sit down to my toasted sub and soup and begin to eat. As I am sitting there my buddy gets up to use the bathroom and I continue putting down by broccoli cheddar. Out of the corner of my eye I see a car pulling into the parking spot, and I think to my self, "if I were her this is point where I would slow down and stop." The moment that thought ended I saw my table fly across the restaurant and dry wall go everywhere. As I stared at the front end of the car 3 feet away from me (spoon still full of soup in this moment) the only thing that crossed my mind was, "Holy S%$#." As everyone else ran out of the restaurant I sat there thinking I almost died at Quiznos. Now a honey bacon turkey is good, but not worth checking out for. Moral of the story-glad I did not die, but you never know when its coming so you better make the best of it. Oh, and never sit next to the wall if it buts up to parking spots!

Death Valley and Scott's Castle

Coming into Death Valley

The Frog making a break for it

Sienna at Sea Level

Wind

Running Down a Dream

Scott's Castle

Inside the Castle

Not so Dead "Death Valley"

Door to Scott's Castle

So this morning we were laying in bed trying to decide what to do to keep the yule tide cheer going. After deciding going to Target was not going to do it we opted to go to the Grand Canyon, but after checking into we found out the road was closed with Snow!!!!!!!! Wanting to try out the new GPS Megan had got me we decided to change up our plans and head to Death Valley. We booked it down the road stopping at Ryolite to see the ghost town. As we rolled down into Death Valley the wind was cooking and it was colder then death. We rolled up to Scott's Castle and had a great time. If any of you are in the area it is a super cool castle built by a really rich dude who got conned by a guy who told him he had a gold mine and just ran with the money. I guess he liked the guy so much he let him live there after he ripped him off! Sienna had a great time and was a super champ, I love the desert and all the cool crazy stuff that's been left there.

Al, Please Send Global Warming Our Way!!!!!!

Mr. Gore, If you have any love left in your hart please let global warming come to Las Vegas. We have received 6" of snow in our back yard this week and it is killing all my life giving plants!

Great Santa Run 08'

Megan and Sienna with Mr and Mrs Chris Cringel
Mucha Santa

The Fam

Our Mayer Oscar Goodman (played himself in the movie Casino)

This is how we roll

Megan with her morning news crush Jason from Fox 5 in the morning

Every Good Santa needs a few helpers around

The kido and me

Loading up the Sleigh

This years Santa run was sweet, and it just so happened to fall on Sienna's second Birthday. I doubt we broke the world record this year, so England may still hold it. But then again, when the Declaration of Independence was signed we did not even have a continental army. It was classic Vegas, show girls, and Sigfried and Roy did the 1 mile walk. The Frog as the Reindeer this year was a serious hit! Next year we will have to see if she can pull us.

The Frog Coming of Age

Dad I need the American Standard Strat, the Mexi will not do!

Today was an emotional day for yours truly. After rapping up a trip to see the Bellagio flower gardens, I thought an appropriate family follow up activity would be to go the guitar store and see if Sienna might find anything she could not live without. It was on from the time we walked into the store! She passed all the butt rock band guitars and headed strait to the Fender and Gibson section. I had to question myself at this moment, was this nature or nurture diving her to Leo Fenders fine creations? I love the fact I know have a little buddy to take to the guitar store with me!

The Redemption of Poultry, My New Ladder, and Escaping Death

When All Else Fails, Bust Out the Hockey Stick
My Father In law and "the frog" Helping Me Put Up Lights

I Wish I Had A Basement

Grubbin

The 14 Pounder In All Her Brine Glory

A Proud Father

So, I am sure that must of you know from my last post that me and my feathered friends have not been digestively cohabiting. I am glad to say that after a hiatus of sorts I am back on the Poultry band wagon. Thanksgiving was great! My in laws Ken and Susie came in to town for the feast and eat we did. Super Dave (Scooter Death Mob Founder) sent me a recipe on how to brine a turkey. Now anytime you let anything soak in 4 cups of salt and insane amounts of garlic, you are bound to have good tidings on your pallet. If you would like the recipe, send me an email and I will hook a brother up. So after the pies, 6 James Bond movies, and a bit of sleep it was off to black Friday. Now this is the first time I have attempted to bust the doors and fight with the laddies for the last tickle me Elmo. It was not to bad, and I ended up with a new ladder by 6:30 am. Not to completely dork out, but my new ladder is the greatest thing ever. It is like kama sutra of personal elevation. The thing can go into 20 different positions of impending cascading death. So we busted it out on its first trial run to get the Christmas stuff out of the attic. The decorations came flowing out in abundance like the horn of the harvest. I was then put to work with putting the lights up. Now this is something I don't mind all that much, but there are always a few moments every year as I am on top of the ladder thinking to my self, "will I be that guy who died by falling off his ladder this year." Maybe someday, but that day was not today~!~~

The Ying and Yang of the greatest day ever, and why I will never eat fried chicken again

When one rides 30 miles on a scooter you qualify for a pic under the "Cool Zone" Sign

Feeling rather hard core after going 20mph up the pass to Virginia City

Scooter Death Mob founder....Dave

Ready to hit the open road

Rolling

Burning into Virginia City

Ying and Yang, plus and negative, old Stevie Wonder vs. new Stevie Wonder these are things with complete opposites (especially Stevie Wonder, honestly how does a guy put our a record like "Songs In The Key Of Life," then write a travesty like, "I just called to say I love you.") I digress, here is the story. I have been in the Reno/Tahoe area for the past few days for work. I started out yesterday making the rounds to Carson City, Melville, and Tahoe. Not a bad day, had some good calls and saw some great country. I called my buddy Dave to see what he was up to after work. He, much like the Magi spreading words of joy and glad tiding mentioned that he and his wife had just picked up some scooters on Craig's list and we should mob them over the hill to Virginia City.

I was in from the get go, so Dave (now the official founder of the Scooter Death Mob) adorned in his ski helmet and me in Dave's down hill bike helmet and gold Elvis sunglasses headed out. Now Kerouac may have written "On The Road", but he did not do it on a scooter! So after a long climb up the mountain maxing out at 20mph we finally picked up some speed on the decent. Rolling in Virginia City was great. If any of you are in the Reno area I highly recommend that you make it over that way. It is one of the most intact mining towns I have ever seen. Being that a scooter ride is hard work we had both worked up a decent appetite and were ready for some grub.

We hit up the locals on where to eat and learned that Del Rio was having there special Gospel Chicken (this is the start of the yang part of story). So Dave and I sat down to a large plate of fried chicken on mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy. As it went down, it was truly Divine. I experience junkie like craving for fried chicken about every 2 years and this was my fix. We noted that nightfall was upon us and it was time to burn the road home.

Coming out of Virginia City was colder then death, but the way back to Reno was not so bad. As I was going down the road singing the theme song from "Smokey and the Bandit" I noticed that my insides were have some rejection issues with the Chicken. So we made it back, and what was once Divine poultry was now on its way to becoming apocalyptic on a biblical scale. I made it back to my hotel and into bed hoping the destroying angle that once was the Gospel Chicken would pass me by. No Dice......

By midnight the Gospel Chicken had taken full position of my soul and I was purging the demons all night long and into the morning. The exorcism did not take hold until Friday morning. Maybe the open road and smell of two stoke oil was so way to much of a good thing and had to be balanced by a night of being curled up around the porcelain?

With all Drama aside, Dave and I are talking about planning a scooter trip across Nevada on Highway 50 (the worlds loneliest highway). I can assure you that if this trips goes down, no fried chicken will be going down the hatch! Ahhh, the ying and the yang of life.